Rubber boot.



C. LEE.

RUBBER BOOT, APPLICATION FILED DEC.23,1915.

Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

C. LEE.

RUBBER BOOT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 23, 1915.

1,204,365. Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

3 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

' w/r/vfss: /NI/f/vroR Uli/fard Lee,

C. LEE.

RUBBER BOOT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.23, I9I5.

l ,204,35 Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESS J INI/EN TOR UIWWJLM,

paran srnrrns nanna oracion.

CLIFFORD LEE, OF NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOODYEAR/SMETALLIC RUBBER SHOE CO., .A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

RUBBER BOOT.

Continuation in part of appli To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD LEE, a citizen of the United States,residing atNaugatuck, county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rubber Boots, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to rubber footwear such as boots, shoes, andovenshoes, but more specifically to rubber boots, and has for an objectto increase the life thereof by preventing the formation of cracks.

The present application is a continuation in part of my priorapplication filed July 9, 1914, Serial No. 849,871.

A. rubber boot has a tendency to stretch at parts and buckle at otherparts when the weight of the wearer pivots upon it in walking, therebyproducing compound wrinkles that run in haphazard directions and in timedevelop into cracks and punctures that produce leaks long before theboot is worn out. Hitherto, futile attempts have been made to obviatethis cracking by stiffening the boot to resist wrinkling. 'Io overcomethis defect, I localize wrinkling of the boot at points mostadvantageous for 'wrinkling to occur, and at said points so constructthe boot that it wrinkles quickly and substantially without obstruction,hindrance, or restraint, under stress. In some instances I also controlthe direction in which such wrinkling shall occur.

The invention will be readily understood from the Efollowingdescription, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in whichiFigure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a boot constructed inaccordance with my invention with a part in elevation; Fig. 2 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1 showing another embodiment of the invention; Fig. 3 isa detail View of a joint at the ankle of the boot shown in Fig. 2; Fig.4 is a side elevation of a boot showing a further modification of theinvention; Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view on the line 5-5,Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is an enlarged. cross-sectional View showing a modifiedform of the invention.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1, I concentrate orlocalize wrinkling to occur in the front and sides of the ankle and inthe toe below the instep of the boot, as

Speciication of Letters Patent.

vthe rubber in the boot.

Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

cation Serial No. 849,871, led July 9, 1914,. This application ledDecember Serial No. 68,434.

at thesepoints there is a natural tendency for the boot to wrinkle asthe weight of the wearer pivots upon it in walking. At these points Isubstitute for the ordinary stiffened, reinforced structure of the boot8, a gusset 9 of readily wrinkleable material, preferably rubber ofbetter quality than The boot structure of reinforced stiffened rubbermaterial, will resist wrinkling and thus concentrate or localize allwrinkling in the readily yieldablegussets which exhibit extremeflexibility and willingness to wrinkle under stress. The gussets beingof better grade rubber than the rest of the boot, will withstandtheincreased wear put upon them without disintegrating beforedisintegration vof the rest of the boot.

' In some instances I control the direction in' which wrinkling of theboot shall occur, and to attain this result I form the boot 10 withpermanent wrinkles 11 at points where it is desired that wrinkling shalloccur. The wrinkles 11 collapse readily upon themselves whilemaintaining substantially their normal length and direction, thereinforced boot structure resisting wrinkling save at the wrinkleableportion 11, due to the usual layers of stiff material 12, 13 and 14 ofthe back, front, and instep of the boot. I/Vrinkling of the boot is thusconcentrated or localized in the permanent wrinkles 11, the direction ofthe latter determining the direction in which wrinkling of the bootshall occur. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, wrinkling occurstransversely of the boot in which direction it exerts practically nodeleterious effects o-n the boot.

I preferably form the wrinkled `portion 11 of higher grade rubber thanthe boot and back it with aknit lining 15 instead of of the ordinarywoven lining 16 used in' the boot, thereby imparting greater flexibilityy of the boot leg 18 for the purpose of localizi ing wrinkling at thispoint and confining the wrinkles to occur longitudinally of the leg whenthe boot is in use. I also contemplate forming the Wrinkleslongitudinally of the back` of the boot or in the sides of the boot. Thewrinkles may be of regular or` symmetrical type as shown at 19 in Fig.5, or may be of irregular or unsymmetrical type as shown at 20 in Fig.6, or may be a combination of both to suit various conditions ofservice.

In practice, any insertion having the function of eXtreme willingness towrinkle, and serving to localize wrinkling to occur at a predeterminedpoint in the boot in use, will fall within the scope of this invention.And with respect to the term wrinkle used in the following claims, Imean "the term to include plaits, folds, flutes, corrugations, or anywavy or undulating configuration.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

l. A rubber boot having a portion reinforced or stifened, and a readilywrinkleable portion interrupting thestilfened portion of the boot andlocalizing wrinkling of the boot in said wrinkleable portion.

2. A rubber boot having a portion reinsave at those points where saidportions occur whereby Wrinkling of the boot is localized in saidportions:

4. A rubber boot having a readily wrinkleable portion, the boot beingstiffened adjacent to said portion to localize wrinkling in saidportion, said portion having a predetermined configuration adapted tocontrol wrinkling of said portion to occur in prede` termineddirections.

5. A rubber boot having a portion reinforced or stiffened, and permanentwrinkles interrupting the stiened portion, said wrinkles readilycollapsing upon themselves under stress while maintaining substantiallytheir normal length and direction.

Signed at New Brunswick, N. J., this 17th day of December, 1915. f y

CLIFFORD LEE.

